Director, AI Transformation (UnivarONE)

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Director, AI Transformation (UnivarONE):

This role sits within the Transformation Office and is the delegated execution and accountability owner for the value-and-governance engine that turns UnivarONE AI initiatives into certified, bankable financial impact. Reporting to the Transformation Office Leader (Sr. Director, Transformation), this role takes day-to-day ownership and sign-off for value certification and AI governance, supporting and enabling leadership to advance the portfolio strategy and the executive / Apollo interface.

The role sits at the seam between Univar Solutions' two transformation engines: it ensures every initiative certified as real value is shaped into a deliverable project, governed, and made enterprise-ready by the technology program — preventing tech projects from running ahead of value, and ensuring big ideas convert into measured results. It is the connective tissue that keeps value, governance, and technology moving in lockstep.

What You’ll Do:

Value Attribution & Benefits Certification

- Own the value scorecard as the single source of truth for realized savings and EBITDA/cash impact across the AI portfolio.

- Run the finance-verified benefits process and provide the go/no-go value certification at each stage gate — the authority that determines whether an initiative may scale.

- Set and maintain KPI and value-attribution methodology in partnership with FP&A; ensure every claimed dollar is underwritten by Finance before scaling.

- Produce actual-vs-target value reporting for the monthly transformation review and the executive / Apollo operating cadence.

Shaping High-Value Use Cases into Projects & Charters

- Partner with the Factory — which owns initiative intake — to take prioritized, high-value use cases and transform them into scoped transformation projects.

- Build enterprise-grade charters: problem statement, value levers, expected dollar impact, success metrics, and 30/60/90-day milestones.

- Translate current-state processes, observations, and pain points into clearly scoped opportunities that deliver measurable value.

- Sequence and resource the resulting project portfolio so value is delivered on schedule.

Investment Decision Support — Buy / Build / Blend

- Own the value-and-cost component of the buy / build / blend decision (owned by another team) — building the financial case that underpins the choice.

- Serve on the core decision team that confirms the recommendation is sound before the owning team advances it to leadership.

- Ground every recommendation in certified value and a credible cost basis.

AI Governance, Risk & Policy Execution

- Own day-to-day execution of the AI governance and accountability framework; keep policy artifacts aligned to UnivarONE governance and the Apollo-endorsed model.

- Shepherd responsible-AI data, sovereignty, and access-rights decisions to closure.

- Coordinate legal, privacy, and AI-regulation reviews and non-technology vendor selection through the appropriate governance forums.

- Convene the governance cadence, track decisions and risk thresholds, and escalate items requiring executive-sponsor or CIO decision rights.

UnivarONE ↔ CoE / FRONTIER Coordination & Enterprise Readiness

- Serve as the day-to-day liaison to the AI Center of Excellence and FRONTIER to avoid duplication and drive reuse of platforms, models, and automation frameworks.

- Own the enterprise-readiness criteria that gate broad rollout once a pilot clears its value gate (hardening, integration, enterprise data, hypercare).

- Manage clean hand-offs across the lifecycle — framing → pilot → scale-up & hypercare → steady-state business ownership.

- Ensure solutions transition to full business-unit ownership within the target window, embedded in standard operating procedures and performance metrics.

Vendor & Partner Management

- Own operational vendor relationship management across the AI portfolio — scoping, statements of work, pilot terms, and commercial follow-through.

- Maintain a single, current view of vendor scope, cost, and status across the program.

- Partner with Legal, Procurement, and Security on contract review, data terms, and threat scanning for third-party AI tooling.

- Surface cost-vs-value exposure on vendor engagements early — for example, pilot cost escalations — so they reach the value and budget owners before commitment.

What You’ll Need:

- Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA or a quantitative field) preferred.

- 10+ years in finance transformation, value realization, transformation/PMO leadership, or AI/digital program management, including direct ownership of benefits tracking or business-case certification.

- Demonstrated ability to certify financial value — building and defending value cases and underwriting savings with Finance.

- Strong command of governance, accountability frameworks, risk and controls, and responsible-AI or data-governance practices.

- Track record turning prioritized opportunities into scoped projects and enterprise-grade charters.

- Experience coordinating across IT, data, and a Center of Excellence without owning those teams — influence over authority.

- Vendor and contract management experience (statements of work, pilots, master agreements) in a technology or consulting context.

- Executive-grade communication and data storytelling; comfortable presenting value and risk to C-level and private-equity sponsors.

- Experience in a private-equity-backed transformation or value-creation-plan environment.

- Working fluency with enterprise AI/data platforms and the economics of scaling AI from pilot to production.

- Chemical distribution, industrial, or comparable B2B sector exposure.

- CPA / MBA or equivalent analytical credential.

Where You’ll Work:

This is a hybrid-based role that will report out of our corporate headquarters in Downers Grove, IL.

Pay & Benefits:

- Salary range: $180,000 - $210,000. This role is also eligible for incentive pay.

- The specific salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors including the candidate's experience, education, training, certifications, qualifications, and work location.

- Available employee benefits include health, vision, and dental. We also provide 401(k) matching for retirement and flexible time off.

What You Can Expect:

- Strong work/life flexibility .

- To be surrounded by an inclusive team that is collaborative and committed to the achievement of the company.

- To be rewarded for your contributions with a targeted annual company bonus and annual salary reviews .

- Competitive pay and benefits.

Univar Solutions is a leading, global distributor of chemicals and ingredients essential to the safety, health, and wellbeing of our daily lives from life-saving medicines and vitamins to hand sanitizers and industrial materials used for cleaning, construction, and more. Our global team of more than 9,500 employees support our vision to redefine distribution and be the most valued chemical and ingredient distributor on the planet!

We offer a Total Rewards package that includes market aligned pay and incentives as well as a diverse benefits offering to support our employees’ physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing .

Univar Solutions supports sustainable solutions for the world around us so that we can do our part to help keep our communities healthy, fed, clean, and safe!

We are committed to a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusion. Together, we are building a culture that acknowledges the unique experiences, perspectives and expertise of individuals and provides the development and growth opportunities to empower us to redefine our industry.

Univar Solutions is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected classification. We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the hiring process, please contact us at [email protected] .

Univar Solutions does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms (collectively Recruiting Firms). Recruiting Firms must enter into a Master Services Agreement (MSA) with Univar Solutions prior to submitting any information relating to a potential candidate. All searches must be initiated by Univar Solutions' Talent Acquisition team and candidates must be submitted via Applicant Tracking System (ATS) by approved vendors who have been expressly requested to make a submission for a specific job opening. No placement fees will be paid to any firm unless the aforementioned conditions have been met. Contacting our hiring managers directly is prohibited.

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